Miami has always been a haven for innovators, for builders, for disrupters and for those wielding the power of technology as a tool of change.
Now, at a time when physical anchors to place are a movable constant, the spotlight is on our community.
We’re taking advantage of this unique moment to articulate the values, opportunities, and principles that guide our vision – both for ourselves and for those who wish to join us.
This Manifesto is of, by, and for, the people behind the #miamitech movement.
We Are A Community of Builders
We have grit, ingenuity, and as one of most entrepreneurial metro regions in the country, we innovate by necessity and for purpose beyond profit. What you build in Miami will work anywhere.
We Disrupt the Status Quo
We are a testing ground for novel ideas and experimentation. Our leaders are eager to build with and for all. We’re not only after the next unicorn, but also the business models that elevate technology as a centrifuge to a thriving community.
We Believe Talent is Universal
But we recognize that opportunity is not. We are cultivating experiential and educational environments that address the human capital needs of 21st century companies. Investing in an inclusive technology and entrepreneurial pipeline requires everyone do their part.
We Are Home To Outsiders
Over half of our population is foreign-born and we have one of the largest concentrations of immigrant entrepreneurs per capita. We value relationships and strive to welcome newcomers with open arms. We make it our business to break down opportunity silos and concentrated power structures. We do so to make it easier for all to integrate, connect and navigate this ecosystem.
We Are A Global Launchpad
We are the gateway city, not only to LATAM and the Caribbean, but to the world. Our unique geographic position makes us an ideal landing pad for capital and ventures seeking to expand internationally or enter the US market.
We Are Driven By Our Inclusive Values
Our community is multilingual, multi-cultural and though we struggle with meaningful integration, we are a true representation of the future of American cities: a majority-minority demographic. We are uniquely diverse but we are not yet a model for inclusion. Though, with such a large Hispanic and Caribbean population, it would be easy for us to make this claim.
We aspire to be an ecosystem designed for and embodied by inclusion, access, racial equity, diversity, upward economic mobility and seamless connectivity. We are on the way, but have such great lengths to go to ensure our Black, Indigenous, other Peoples of Color and LGBTQ+ people are fully represented by all measures of opportunity.
We Are Not Silicon Anything
We will never be the new Silicon Valley, Silicon Beach or anything but what makes our community unique. We are not a barren wasteland for startups. We rank high on startup activity and like most emerging markets are building the infrastructure necessary to increase the rate of scale. Miami has earned a reputation as a global hub for technology and entrepreneurship because we have intentionally laid the groundwork over many years.
We Are Collaborative
We know that innovation is not a zero sum game. It’s in our best interest to work together. Let’s collectively seek first to understand our existing ecosystem and aim to be additive, not duplicative. But, please, get in where you best fit in and always endeavor to amplify the work of others.
We Are Women-Led
We are the only major US city founded by a woman. In fact, we’re proud that so many of the resources for founders – from the accelerators, incubators, angel groups, coworking spaces, programs and conferences – are women led.This doesn’t mean we’re free from the inequities in representative board leadership, access to capital, or the endemic bro-culture that plagues other tech communities. We all remain vigilant to avoid gender exclusive panels, committees or advisory groups.
We Are Transparent About Failure
Which is really hard to do. We still struggle with calling out the outliers whose actions erode public trust and confidence. Let’s be honest: we have a storied history of racial inequality, striking disparities, affordability, homelessness, financial insecurity, gentrification and cultural fragmentation. Yet, we are constantly learning from our mistakes and from lessons of failures in other communities.
We Are Building Together
We are building with intention, not perfection. We welcome challenges, constructive critique, but most importantly, folks who want to make Miami better.
As we evolve, so will this #MiamiTech Manifesto. It is a living statement of purpose and accountability. It is a representation of our commitment to who we are as an ecosystem and where we strive to be. It is a declaration of the principles we aim to uphold and the values we endeavor to embody.
Don’t just observe, become an active participant in our experiment. Take the pledge, add these principles to your website or favorite online platform, and contribute in a way that adds value to our community.
We are #MiamiTech
The following members of the #MiamiTech community have committed to upholding these values, staying accountable to each other and the community at-large, and building a more prosperous and equitable tech community together.
Michelle Abbs, Managing Director Mana Tech
Earle Acosta
Chris Adamo, CBO/Investor at WhereBy.Us/Letterhead
Maritza T. Adonis, MTA Visions Global CSR & Gov’t Relations
Claudia Akel - Social Impact Movement
Duygu Aktan, Ango AI
Liz Rebecca AlarcĂłn, Founder & Executive Director, Pulso
Jonatan Alava
Kimberly Aldunate
David Alexandre Brun, Seeded
Daniel Almeida, Stayfilm
Douglas Almeida, Stayfilm
Aileen Alon
maria c. alonso
Daniela Alpert
JC Alvarez, Clarify and Built In Miami
Kevin Amézaga
Andy Amendola, Tech Advisor and Digital Strategy Expert
Ryan Andersen
Nancy Anderson Bolton, Globant
Scarlett Arana, UnifyIT innovation developer
Alex Arguelles
Andres Arias / Clarity
Nicolas Arroyo
Nishita Aswani
Amy Austin Renshaw
CHANAN AVERBUCH
Beatriz Ayala, Co-founder & CEO Musicasa
David Azar
Jaime BaeA
Michelle Bakels, Boca Code
Akos Balogh, Moscase Inc
Prem Balwani - Founder & CEO iGrabit
David Barkoe, Carve Communications
Matthew Beatty, The Carrie Meek Foundation
Maria Beckles
Branden Bedoya, Google
Matias Beeck
Patricia Beitler, Velocitas Marketing + PR
Demian Bellumio
Champ Bennett
Amber Berger
Richard Bermudez
Kiel Berry
Marie Berry, Founder and Angel
Cody A Bess
Mario Betancourt
Johnny Betancourt - Co-Founder @ Clutch Prep
Romi Bhatia
Gean Biffulco
David Bisset
Sam Blatt, Miami-Dade Beacon Council
Mayor Jane Bolin
Isa Bolivar, Uber
Andrew Bowyer
Brian Breslin - Refresh Miami + The Launch Pad
Laura Bries Biseo
Margaret Brisbane
Daniel Brito - Outcomes Manager @ Ironhack Miami
Stephanie Brito, Software Engineer at Google + Master’s Student at Stanford
Gabriela Brown, Every Woman
Leigh-Ann Buchanan, President & Executive Director, aīre ventures
Maria Budet, Beacon Council
Bianca Bustamante
Nikki Cabus, Palm Beach Tech Association
Rogelio Caceres, RCG Global
Kevin Cadette, Black Angels Miami
Christine Cafiso Pulver, Founder at theheard
Colin Campbell
Jairo Cano, Caiman Immunizer Antimalware
Alex Cantwell, Founder/Inventor at FitFones, Inc.
Fausto Carassai @ BigDevsLLC
Randy Carballo, Blanca CRE
Lulu Carbonell, Liquid Carrot Founder; Cell-Ed VP; LifePath CTO
Kayla Cartwright
Seth Cassel
Mario L Castellanos
Luc Castera - Founder, Octopi
Nate Causey
Floris Chabert
Aaron Chavez
Jennifer Chelenyak, EY
Kelly Chess
Joe Chin
Carolina Chiu
Kevin Choi
Kevin Choi, Resources.co
MARIA CLARA MEJIA
Silvia Clarke, eMerge Americas
Miriam Cloquell, Minds of Tomorrow
Stan COIGNARD, French Tech Miami - Community Lead
Chelsie Cooper, Approvely
Patrick Corbett Founder, Mind Stimuli Labs, Co
Tina Cornely, Founder of Bridging Humanity
Michael Coronado
Leo Correa
Paola Correa - TedXMiami
Paige Cortese
Jocelyn Cortez Young - Minerva Capital
Gabriela Costales
Jonathan Cox, CEO and Founder at Grownextdoor
Camilo Crespo
Mark Crofton
Mario Cruz, Watsco Ventures / Miami Maker Faire
Nancy Dahlberg, Refresh Miami
Juan Pablo D’Alessandro, Endeavor
Sean Daly, Founder, Expetitle
Rod Danan, Founder & CEO at Prentus
Marcelo Daniel Sanchez, oneshotapp.com
Chris Daniels, The Shrimp Society
Rebecca Danta, Miami Angels
Stephanie Davis, ex-Googler
Lila de la Chesnaye, ex-Chewy/Instacart/Nearpod
Jordan De Leon, Urban Impact Lab
Francesca de Quesada Covey
Delia DeBuc, Founder and CEO, iScreen 2 Prevent , LLC
Lesley DeCanio
Federico Decia, Co-Founder Nub8
Elizabeth Decker, President, SIM South Florida
Juan Pablo Degiovanni, Crystalzoom
Antonio Delgado, Dean of Engineering and Technology at Miami Dade College
Maria Derchi Russo, Refresh Miami
Arjun Desai, Insightec
Ashok Deshmukh
Jason Devlin, Watsco Ventures
Eileen Devline-Ward
Fabian Divito
Brent R. Dixon
Tamas Doffek
Maria Dominguez, Site Director of CIC Miami
Angela Don, Product Designer
Gladys Downs
CEO Goran Dragoslavic First American Telecom
Maria Dreyfus-Ulvert
Edgard D. Duque, TheVentureCity
Claudia Duran
Vanessa Duran, Principal at DCC Accounting
Joshua Eisenberg, PhD, Lead Scientist NLU @ Artie inc.
John Elizabeth Aleman
Serge Elkiner
Lacey Elmange
Kaitlyn Elphinstone, Cayman Enterprise City
EMILIO ESCARTIN
Fabio Escobar
Raul G Faife, UPEFIU
Nelly M. Farra, Co-Founder + COO of Perchance
Carlos Fdo.Ramirez - AddData co-creator and creative data analysis
Jose Fermin, CEO @ What a TV
Alvaro Fernandez, EFyA Advisors
Cesar Fernandez - Converge Government Affairs, ex-Uber
Diego Fernández - Contextus - Social Commerce Platform
Wifredo “Wifi” Fernández - Scout, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Maurice R. Ferre, Insightec Chairman & CEO
Jonathan Fichman, Kabot Advisors
Ken Finneran, VP Global HR
Michael A. Finney, President & CEO, Miami-Dade Beacon Council
Cynthia M. Fleischmann
Kamalah Fletcher, A Little Help Never Hurt
Kamalah Fletcher, A Little Help Never Hurt
Keena Fletcher, Groups of Good People
Cheriene Floyd
Ibis Fonte, Software Factory
Antoine Forest, Co Founder - Stargazer.co - Followpass.app
Krystina François, Executive Director, Office of New Americans of Miami-Dade
Brenda Freeman Tech advisor and business leader
Marcelo C. Freire, Sr. Director Global Exp. & Innovation
Michael Friedberg, Founder/President of SEO Nerd
Randy Fuentes
Maurice Gabriel, Your Strategic Partner
Laura Gabrysiak, R-Ladies Miami
Laurent GALLISSOT, Consul General of France in Miami
Cecilia Garcia
Eddie Garcia
Patricia Garcia, Founder @ college thrifts
Beto Garza
Enrique Garza
Erick Gavin, Center for Black Innovation
Will Gendron
Nicolette Ghimire
Patricia Gil
Jane Gilbert, High Impact Integrated Solutions
ANTHONY GINTER, WATERDIAM GROUP
Howard Gitten
Emily J Gleason
Joan M. Godoy, Radical Partners
Leon Gomez
Sebastian Gomez Puerto
Laura González-Estéfani
Ana Paula González, 500 Startups
Mitchell Gonzalez
Paola Gonzalez - @kardioyoga
Xavier Gonzalez, Cyxtera
Alfred Gonzalez-Cuzan, Arm Innovator
Claudia Gorham
Olga Granda
Gustavo Grande, The Idea Center at MDC
Ian Grant II, WaySlay
Lakeshia Grays, BSEXpress Delivery
Jacek Grebski // 7 Train Ventures
Annette Green Tellez, Code/Art
Channi Greenwall, SecurityScorecard
Sharon Griemsman - Year Up, Inc.
Elliot Grossbard - Head of Growth at ElevateU (HigherEd EdTech)
Ailyn Guerra
Flavio Nicolay Guimaraes
Patricio Guitart
Jacob Gurrola, Avisual LLC
Jordan Guthrie
Alejandro Gutierrez @AdMobilize
Pablo Gutierrez Oyhanarte
Steven Haase
Lynn Hackney
Steven Hadjilogiou
Matt Haggman, Beacon Council
John Hall, Brickell Opportunity Partners
Michael Hall, Founder, Digital Grass
Douglas Hardin EatUp Inc
Adele Harrington, UNCS Evolution
Timothy Hasse, Founder of General Provision, Founder of T R I M
Dr. B. Sarah Haynes, Ph.D, Founder, CEO, CoachEra/Pishevar-Haynes Foundation, Pishevar Family Office, Edison Startup Executive Coach/Investor/Humanitarian
Gavin Heale
Suraj Hemnani - Co-founder @ Weather Creative
Kimberly T. Henderson, Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida
José G. Hernández — HRNANDEZ
Seba Herrera Cano
William Herrera, IT System Engineer
Erez Hevroni
Marlon Hill
Bill Hinostroza, EasyClout
Greg Horowitz, Consulate General of Israel in Miami
Ericka Howard, Urbanly
Jared Husch
Fabio Iannelli, ADVANSIS
Nicolas M Iglesias
Roberto Interiano
Charles Irizarry
Elizabeth Irizarry
James Irvine, 305 Works
Paola Iuspa-Abbott
Laura James - CoFounder - JoinLevel.com
Piotr Jaworski, Head of New Tech, Jit Team
Ernesto JerĂłnimo Kemmerer, ek Technology Consulting
David Jessup Jr.
Rosa Jiménez Cano
Ja’dan Johnson, Center for Black Innovation
Christine Johnson, VP Innovation, Miami Dade Beacon Council
Chris Johnston
Jody Jones
Pablo Junco
Danny Kattan
Robert Katz, World Innovation Network
Stacey Kawakami
Tyler Kelley, Innovation City
Tamour Khan
Annette King, Founder & CEO at Muuchit
Haley Kirk,
Karin Klein, Bloomberg Beta
Daniel Kleinman, Seaworthy Collective
Amy Knox,
Tarkan Kocoglu
Susanna Kohly Jacobson, Google Cuba
James Kohnstamm, EVP, Miami-Dade Beacon Council
Herwig Konings
Andrej Kostresevic, Partner, DART Ventures
Jake Kozloski
Melissa Krinzman, Krillion Ventures
Janet Kyle Altman
Angel Lacret. Founder of Cobuild Lab
Vanessa Lamarque
Richard Lamondin
Augusto Landestoy
Alyssa Landry
Nicolas Lares, Serial Entreprenuer
Travis Laurendine
Alexander Lazar
Evan Leaphart - Founder, Kiddie Kredit
Temante Leary
Bonnie Lee
Prem Lee Barbosa
Dirk Leifer, Level 5 Partners
David Lekach
Reneida Leon
Sergio Leon, Co-Founder 1Nation Digital
AMANDA LEVIEN
Traci Levine
John Levinson, Westway Capital
Kevin Levy, Gray Robinson, P.A.
Mike Lingle // Rocket Pro Forma
Rachel Lipoff
Antonio Llanos, CTO LaCalle Group
Diana Londono, International Economic Development
Jorge Lopez - Founder of Shipealoo!
Valerie Lopez, CEO & Co-founder at Shoot My Travel
Renee Lopez-Cantera
Jorge Lozano, Ploosi
Sarah Lucas
Ivo Machado, Wisecut
Kyle Maharlika, Associate @ VCM
Alejandro Mainetto
Mellanie Malik
Moishe mana .mana common
Aaron Mandell
Michael Mannino
Gabriela Mara Schmitman, Bondy Group
Nacho Marcotegui - NEORIS USA, INC
Julia Marina
Matti Marshak, LAB Ventures, Studio CEO
Natalia Martinez-Kalinina
Brenda Matos, Product Designer
Laura I MaydĂłn
Hernan Mayol, Apprentice Worldwide
Michael R. McCord - AOA Ventures (Healthcare / RE Focus)
Kerry McLaney, 305 Creative & Art Vault
Adrienne C. McWilliams, Co-Founder & CEO of BRIDGE Networks
Henry Mederos, Software Engineer
Melissa Medina, eMerge Americas
Alvaro Melendez, CRANT
DIEGO MEY
Jorge Mezzadra
Kevin V. Michael, Co-Founder & CEO, Invizio
Johanna Mikkola, CEO & Co-Founder, Wyncode Academy
Juha Mikkola, Co-Founder of Wyncode Academy
John Paul Milciunas, BaseLayer Ventures
Ted Miller
Andre Miranda - Tech Innovations
Brandon Mitchell, Venture for America
Lynn Miteva
Carrie Monescalchi
Rebekah Monson, WhereBy.Us
Aldo Mora, Sprezet
Katrina Morris
Samuel J Morris, Gigasheen LLC
Courtney Murtha
Rebecca Negro Rocha, Endeavor
Sarah Nohe
Lisa Nuessle, General Manager, Ironhack
Ivania Oberti, Esq founder of IOBERTI LEGAL
Martin Ogawa
JJ Ogrey, Founder
Francisco Opazo, Entrepreneur
Ana Ordoñez
Willy Orozco SoFlo RM for Microsoft TEALS
Michael Ortali
Mark Osterman
Cari PĂ©rez, General Assembly
Glenda Pacanins, The Nineteen & Nine Company
Oscar Paez, Country Head, ENCONCRETO
Albert Paredes, SoftwareCraft
Ignacio Paricio, UX advocate
Devin Patel, VP of Business Development, Passport
Kenasha Paul, Black Professionals Network
Alex Perez
Oscar Perez
Anabel Perez, NovoPayment
Matheus Pessanha, Jobis
Michael J. Pichardo
Soledad Picon
Alicia Pierre, Legally Techie™
Justin Pinn, Board Member, Miami EdTech
Julio Poppe - Ruway Ventures
Joanna Popper, HP, Global Head of VR Go-To-Market
Juan José Portela Zardetto - CEO PHLOX Networks a Division of SILIGOM USA LLC
Emmanuela Prevolis
Gio Punzo, Streann Media
Raquel Quezada
Ariel Quiñones, Ironhack
Cesar Quintero - The Profit Recipe
Arathi Ramappa
Ivan Rapin-Smith, Watsco Ventures
Carlos Raul Garcia
Rachel Raynaud
Ryan Rea @Volvoshine
Keratin Recker, Authentifi and NTENT
Mariana Rego, Senior Product Manager
Jade Reichling, EisnerAmper
Arnoldo J. Reyes
Esteban Reyes
Max Ringelheim, When Going Viral
Marilu Rios
Stephanie Rios - Founder, Pop Squid MKG
Paul Roatta, CISSP
Lynare Robbins, Executive Director, Global Chamber- Miami Chapter
Lil Roberts
Alejandro Rodriguez
Josue Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez - Azulle
Ivon Rodriguez, CMO @ Linqto
Jocelyn Rodriguez, Cofounder - Clearfind
Johnny JR Rodrigues, emb3Ded
Gabriel Roizner, Co-founder & CEO Mozper
Monica Rojas, Palm Beach Tech
Gabriela Rolon
Jose Romero
Hesler Roque
Lucas Rosa, Founder Pedra CRM
Juan Rosas, Brandstronaut.com, Future Proof Websites
Scott Rosenbluth, CRAZE
Sara Rosenthal
Ashley Rousseau
Rebecca Rovirosa-Capote, L’epic Miami
Laurent Ruben - Partner @ French Accelerator / FaBB
Hans O. Rueckschnat
Jorge Ruiz, CEO, Finconecta
Kelsey E. Rumburg, Author of Trash to Treasure
Joseph Russo
Marcelo Russo, Co-founder and COO, QRoom
Maria Sabando, Strategic Advisor
Gabriela Sabate
Gabriela Sabate, Health Semantics
Rodolfo Saccoman
Phillippe Saint-Just, Co-Founder
Brent Saiontz
Suzanne Salas
Danilo E Salazar
Gofredy Salazar - Co-founder Chelatto Brewing Co
Thalia Salmon
Alesia Salvatierra
Michael Samway, The Business and Human Rights Group
Ricardo Sangion, TheVentureCity
Mike Sarasti, CIO City of Miami
Andres Saravia @ Meridian PDP - Data Privacy
Alfredo Sarria, Co-Founder @ SerpGuru
J.J. Sass
Mitali Saxena
Yuda Saydun, CyVent
Mark Scharnitz
Bernardo Scheinkman, Smart Cities Americas
Michael Schofield
Brian Schriner
Christian Schweizer, President HBS Alumni Angels South Florida
Darrin Scorpio Campbell, StartUPs United
Juan Sebastian Arrubla
Nicole Sedlack, Operations Manager, aīre ventures
Pablo Segarra, Esq., CEO of X1492 Media
Yasiel Segui, Miami Tech Advocate
Doron Sherman, Tech Entrepreneur & Investor, Cloudinary - Kemtai
Gita Shonek
jessica shraybman
Marte Siebenhar
daniel silber
Sebastian Silva
Gigi Silver
Franklin Sirmans, PĂ©rez Art Museum Miami
Sandy Skelaney, TEDxMiami
Doug Skoke, Benjamin Douglas
Veronica Socarras
Cristina Solana, MiamiJS and Code for Miami
Felipe Solano, Google Cloud
Pedro Sostre, Navigate.capital
Rafael Souza da Silva
Yagiz Sozmen, CORE
Alex Stancioff
abraham starosta
Chris Stegner - CEO & Co-Founder of Very Big Things
LaToya Stirrup, Kazmaleje
Nemanja Stojanovic, Head of Engineering @ Enki.com
Markus Straarup, Founder of Friendspire
Rachel Streitfeld, North Bay Village Commissioner
YULIA STROKOVA, IMPACT.EDITION
Andrew Sturner, Founder Orange Island Ventures, co-founder of Boatsetter, Miami Angels,& Entourage Effect Capital
Juliana Tafur - Listen Courageously / Orkidea Films
Ixax Tavarez
Mike Teichberg, InventivHR
Mike Teichberg, SHRM-CP
Rodrigo Teijeiro, Founder & CEO of RecargaPay
Alex Tellez, Ocean Azul Partners
Juan C. Teran, CONSULADVISORS LLC
Ricardo Teran, Co-founder - FOLIO
Roger E. Teran
Nev Terzieva
Nicki Tessler
Natalie Ton
Andrea Torres, Head of Partnerships at Endeavor
Gessica Tortolano Wyncode Academy
David Tuaty - Poggesi USA
Max Tuchman, CEO + Co-Founder of Caribu
Brian B. Turner
Brandon Turp
Onega Ulanova - Assist.
Onega Ulanova LA NDPT
Cristina Urdaneta
Jorge Valens
Catalina Valenzuela - Innovus Consulting
Andres Vallejo, Co-Founder @ Navigate
Jose Vargas - PeopleFund.com
Miles J. Varghese
Amanda Vasco, LAB Miami Ventures
Carlos Vazquez
Hiram Vazquez, Operating Partner at Seven Seven Six
Marta Viciedo, Urban Impact Lab
Andrea Vigil, Cushman & Wakefield
Cesar Villa Garcia, Advisor - Upsilon Pi Epsilon @ FIU & Software Engineer @ JPMC
Mauricio Villaescusa
Charles D. Villard
David Villegas, Kuyayky Foundation
Rodrigo Vogeler
Elena Volnova, PetStore.Direct
Damian Voltes, CEO @ Fiera Studio & Patagonia Ventures
Alex Voronovich, CashQ Money Transfer
Patrick Wakeham - Apurata CEO & co-founder
Charles Walter, community advocate and product manager
Jayda Washington-Boothe
Stephen Weaver, Venture for America
Will Weinraub, The Local Leaders Collective
Scott Weinreb
Laurie Weisberg Creatd COO
Andy Weiss
Marcia Narine Weldon, Illuminating Wisdom, LLC
Jake Wells
John Wensveen, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer, Nova Southeastern University
Julia Wilkinson, imvest - invent, invest, impact
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Clerisy
Rebecca Willett, software developer
Nikisha Williams, Opa-locka CDC
Michael Wise, Director of Data Science @ CRANT
Irina D Woelfle
Yendi, Doxie Digital Media
Livio A. Zanardo
Giancarlo Zappala, Co-Founder of Big Motion Studio
JOAN ZHANG
David Zinn
Brian Zisk
Essa Zouga
Jimena Zubiria